The substituted phenoxy-benzene derivatives (formerly called diphenyl-ethers) have been known for twenty years as herbicides and have been used first of all in rice, cotton and soyabean plants. The derivatives substituted with trifluoromethyl were described 10 years later (e.g. E. Wegler: Chemie der Pflanzenschutz - und Schadligsbekampfungsmittel Band 5., Springler-Verlag, Berlin, Heidelberg, N.Y., 1977, p. 73-80 and 401-407).
All the phenoxy-benzene derivatives described by Worthing Charles, R. (The Pesticide Manual, The Boots Company Ltd., Nottingham, England, 6. ed., 1979) are herbicides as well.
Kadar, A. has summarized in a manual all the commercial phenoxy-benzene derivatives but each of them are mentioned as herbicides. (Kadar, A.: "Chemical Weed control", Agricultural Publisher, Budapest, 1983, p. 74-76).
Most preferred phenoxy-benzene derivatives with an excellent herbicidal activity are e.g. the followings:
The closest phenoxy-2-nitrobenzoic acid derivatives to the present invention, but still having a different structure, are described as herbicides in the U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,928,416 and 4,063,929 (the latter corresponds to HUP No. 172 709).